preview

The Aztec Civilization

Decent Essays

Mesoamerica was once a place filled with growing, ruthless empires and civilizations. Although not one was like the Aztecs and their empire. Although they started off with a humble beginning, they quickly grew into a great civilization that dominated present day Central Mexico. They conquered and expanded into an empire stronger than the other neighboring empires. And, the heart of the Aztec empire, Tenochtitlan was a grand capital filled with people and temples. The Aztecs were also ahead of its time with fully-functional irrigation systems and government. The Aztec civilization truly was one of Mesoamerica's most influential empires because of their history, unique culture, and beautiful architecture.
The Aztec history is the story of a …show more content…

The Aztec’s religion was a mix between mythology and polytheism, meaning that mythological beings were a part of their religion as well as many of their animal-like gods. The two main gods that were worshipped were Huitzilopochtli, the war and sun god, and Tlaloc, the rain god. The importance of worship was shown by the Aztec’s 260-day worship calendar, which was divided into twenty weeks with thirteen days. Human sacrifices also played a vital role in Aztec worship where the offerings could be any human, typically victims of wars but could even be their own people and children (Ancient 1). The clothing of the Aztecs was mostly made by women using fibers of a maguey cactus to weave a variety of fabrics (Morgan 10). In this way, the capes and loincloths were made for men, and dresses for women. Jewelry also played a part in Aztec life, by reflecting their wealth with the amount worn (Ancient 2). Chinampas were man-made islands created by cutting channels through marshy land and then using the mud to create islands with wooden posts to support them. They were used to grow their most important crop, corn, and other foods on fertile land. In order to farm the food, farmers used a “coa”, a broad wooden blade with a long handle, to dig and hoe the ground (Morgan 6,7). The native language of the Aztecs, Nahuatl, was the dominant language of Central Mexico by 1350 because of the Aztecs dominance. Many …show more content…

They built various temples for many of their gods, but only the two most honored had a temple at the top of the Templo Mayor, meaning temple major, which was located at the center of Tenochtitlan. The astounding pyramid was built in 1325 to honor the sun god Huitzilopochtli and the rain god Tlaloc (Ancient 1). The Templo Mayor is believed to have been around 300 ft. high with two temples at it’s peak for their gods (McDowell 768). The Aztecs built many other pyramids with a temple at the top, but the factor that determined an important pyramid was if the pyramid had a roof made of wooden beams forming a point (Morgan 15). The average Aztec temple was approximately 200 ft. that “rose in terraces with a broad stairway leading to the top” (Morgan 15). Art for the Aztecs was a way to honor their gods, and for their own aesthetic pleasure. The artisans would organize themselves into guilds based on what they were skilled in. Through metalwork, the Aztecs would make metal objects by beating thin pieces of gold, silver, or copper, or they would make ornaments and jewelry by pouring molten gold into basic molds. Their lapidaries carved and polished bright-colored gems, such as jade, turquoise, and quartz, to create mosaics and jewelry, or to decorate objects such as clothing and weapons. The last form of art the Aztecs practiced was pottery, which was not made with a wheel but with simple tools. Women would use

Get Access